Nigerian airliner reported missing after take-off
Airport loses contact with plane carrying 114, according to local media

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9786388/

MSNBC News Services
Updated: 10:52 p.m. ET Oct. 22, 2005

LAGOS, Nigeria - A Nigerian passenger aircraft carrying 114 people went missing late on Saturday shortly after take-off from Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos, local media reported.

Aviation authorities were trying to locate the aircraft after it lost contact with the control tower minutes after taking off for the capital Abuja, media said.

Pilots issued a distress call before the plane disappeared from radar about 15 miles west of Lagos over the Atlantic Ocean, state television reported.

No other details were immediately available.

Bellview is a privately owned Nigerian airline that mostly operates a fleet of mostly Boeing 737s on internal routes and throughout West Africa.

More details to come on MSNBC.com.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.